NY Red Bulls Are In the MLS Cup, Who Knew?

New York Red Bulls midfielder Dave van den Bergh (11), of the Netherlands, celebrates his goal against Real Salt Lake during the first half of the MLS Western Conference Final soccer game Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, in Sandy, Utah. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

After years of playing in relative obscurity, the NY Red Bulls are on Major League Soccer's premier stage for the first time this Sunday, facing the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup.

Now I can't claim to be an avid soccer fan, but I can get excited about the World Cup, and tune in to the occasional Red Bulls game. I had no idea, however, until about a week ago when I saw a promo on ESPN, that the Red Bulls were in the Super Bowl of soccer. My question is, did anyone else know?

The Red Bulls, despite being the top market team in the MLS, have been a .500 team for years, and only had a small, all be it passionate following. After the firing of Bruce Arena in 2007, the Red Bulls were in need of a new identity.

Although they finished 5th in the East led by new coach Juan Carlos Osorio, the Red Bulls snuck into the playoffs (with the help of a Columbus win over DC United), and battled through a tough playoff schedule. They defeated the two-time defending Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the wild card, then out lasted Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Finals. Now, with one game left in the season the Red Bulls face a familiar foe, the Columbus Crew. In a sort of role reversal David vs. Goliath, the top market team with a so-so record will be facing the smallest market team that won the Supporters' Shield for best record in the league.

Tomorrow in Carson, California (home of the LA Galaxy), you can throw the regular season records out the window, because after the battles both of these have won in the playoffs, its safe to say they are two evenly matched teams. You can call me a bandwagoner if you want, but I'm picking the Red Bulls in this one. After beating such powerful teams in the Dynamo and Real Salt Lake, these guys are unstoppable. The Question is, if they win, will they get a ticker tape parade??

Matt Leach